


Best of Husbands, Best of Men

by STUMPEDD



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 09:49:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7097578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STUMPEDD/pseuds/STUMPEDD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eliza expected many things after Alexander's death, but seeing Thomas Jefferson at Alexander's grave was not one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best of Husbands, Best of Men

Eliza didn’t know what she expected when she walked up to visit Alexander’s grave. All she knew if that she didn’t expect to see Thomas Jefferson sitting in the snow, staring at her husband’s grave. She approached quietly as to not disturb Jefferson, but still making some noise as to not spook him when she sat beside him. “I can’t wait for Burr to show his face once more. What he’s done...this is not the man I entrusted to stand by my side.” Jefferson’s word were mumbled, and he was staring at the ground. Eliza could still tell they were towards her.

She let out a deep sigh, watching her breath swirl in front of her. It had only been five months but the weight of Alexander’s death had still shaken the nation. One of Alexander’s oldest friends, Hercules Mulligan, had sent his condolences to Eliza but she hadn’t seen him since the death and she had simply assumed he was mourning in his own way. Lafayette had send a letter after finding out, revealing his own sadness but he was stuck in France. Had Laurens been alive Eliza was sure he would have been by Eliza’s side, helping her cope. The one person she had never heard from was Thomas Jefferson. He was quiet, not a word other than the obvious ‘I send my condolences’ he was required to give to Eliza. She turned to him. “My question is why he did it. I can remember times they argued but...when did it escalate to this?”

Thomas let out a singular breathy laugh. Eliza noticed he was holding a Cyclamen, a small red flower. “Alexander once told me these flowers were like him. They stood strong through the whole year and it was almost impossible to kill them from just elements, such as sickness or perhaps even a hurricane. Yet I guess I guns can kill flowers,” Thomas whispered. He spun it in his fingers, his head still down.

Eliza smiled warmly. “I wouldn’t put it past my Alexander to make that type of analogy. He had a way with words. So well in fact I fell for him just by his letters he wrote me.” She remembered when she received his letters and how excited she had been, reading each one as if it was the first one every time. She loved those letters, although she found herself hating them after she had read about the affair.

“I once wrote him a short essay, questioning one of his plans for the government. I received a stack of papers, thirty at least, with extreme detail and even in that moment I had to admit to myself, Alexander was someone who clearly cared about what he was doing. Even if I never agreed with him.” Thomas had looked up now, staring at the headstone.

Eliza looked at it too, tracing the engravings with her eyes. “He did endorse you. Even though he was struggling, he somehow managed to stand tall and say the truth, despite how much he cared for his hatred towards you.” She remembered the day Alexander spoke about his endorsement, taking the nation by shock. Everyone knew Thomas and Alexander hated each other, yet Alexander had decided to endorse Thomas over Burr. That was another shock. Burr and Alexander had always had a strange relationship but they could still be considered to be friends from time to time. They would have civil talks after cabinet meetings, about anything but the government. Alexander seemed relaxed around Burr. Or at least he did until he endorsed Thomas and Burr turned quite cold to Alexander.

“I never got a thanks to Alexander for that. I wish I had though. Sure it would be met with some sort of taunt knowing Alexander, but it would have been something...anything.” Thomas was now facing Eliza for the first time since she had arrived and sat beside him. His eyes were dimmed and he looked genuinely upset. Eliza knew this was not the Thomas her Alexander like to talk about, but the Thomas the rest of the nation would talk about. Humaine, down to earth, fighting for the minority. Eliza liked this Thomas much more than the one Alexander spoke of.

Eliza felt the chill of the wind wrap around her, snow blowing her hair back, and she sighed. “Thomas, come with me. You can stay at my house until the storm passes. Alexander may have hated you but trust me, he would never turn down the safety of another. Even you.” She stood and stuck out her hand, her smile warmed and kind. She was known for this smile and it was the very smile Alexander had fallen in love with so many years ago.

Thomas took her hand and stood, placing the flower gently against the headstone. “Thank you Alexander,” he whispered. He followed Eliza, both of them sharing light-hearted stories of Alexander’s many adventures. Eliza even telling Thomas the parts of his letters she adored the most. Thomas shared some of Alexander’s most playful insults. Both of them felt relaxed, at peace for just a moment. They knew the moment would end, but it was alive right now and that was all that mattered.

“He was truly the best of husbands,” Eliza whispered.

“And the best of men,” Thomas added.


End file.
